The release of the latest Bollywood action-thriller, Dhurandhar, starring Ranveer Singh, has been met with significant commercial success and social media buzz in India. However, the film has faced an unexpected roadblock in a key international market: the Middle East, particularly the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries like Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. Reports indicate that Dhurandhar has not been granted a release certificate in this region, effectively leading to a ban.
The primary and most widely cited reason for the film being blocked from release in the UAE and other Gulf nations is its perceived political and geo-political content. Dhurandhar is understood to be a high-octane spy thriller reportedly inspired by real-life incidents and covert operations of India’s Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW).
Gulf nations have a strict policy regarding the exhibition of foreign films that are seen as promoting political propaganda, especially those that could be viewed as “anti-Pakistan” or that deeply explore the complex and sensitive relationship between India and Pakistan.
Dhurandhar is not the first Indian film to face such a restriction. Several other films, like Sky Force, The Diplomat, Article 370, and even previously successful franchises like Tiger 3 and The Kashmir Files, have been either completely banned or heavily censored in parts of the Middle East for similar concerns over their sensitive political or nationalist themes.
In short, the movie’s storyline, which is believed to focus heavily on a geo-political narrative, crosses a line that the regional censor boards in the Gulf are unwilling to permit. The Middle East is one of the most important and lucrative overseas markets for Bollywood films, mainly due to the huge expatriate population of South Asians living and working there.
For a film with a big star like Ranveer Singh and a high production budget, the Middle East box office typically contributes a substantial chunk of the film’s total global earnings. The ban on Dhurandhar therefore represents a major commercial setback for the producers, as they will lose out on millions of dollars in potential ticket sales.
The makers will now have to rely heavily on box office collections from India, North America, the UK, Australia, and other smaller territories to recoup their investment and achieve the blockbuster status they had hoped for.
Despite the domestic legal hurdle being cleared and its success in India, the film’s failure to secure a release in the vital Middle Eastern market highlights the ongoing cultural and political sensitivities that Bollywood filmmakers must navigate when aiming for a global audience. To know such latest updates, stay tuned to tellyboosters.com Thank you!
